Mats Sundin Signs

[M.W. 0]

What's it about then? It's not about giving himself the best chance to win the Stanley Cup.

Why isn't it?

The Canucks are currently 8th in the league in offense, without Sundin. They're 6th in the league defensively, very deep on the back end, and they've been missing Luongo for the past while. Burrows-Kesler-Bernier/Hansen/Pyatt are an extremely good checking line, and Mitchell-Bieksa are more than solid at shutting guys down on D. They're tied for the league lead in fighting majors, and have good grit throughout the lineup.

On top of all of that, they've just added Mats Sundin, who fills out their second scoring line, which will take some pressure off of the Sedins for the first time since the 05-06 season. AND, if the popular word among the media is to be believed, Sundin signed for less than the 10 million dollar offer, and the Canucks will still have enough cap space to add one or two more pieces at the trading deadline. People are reporting that they'll have enough space to add anywhere between 6 and 12 million dollars of full-season contracts come deadline day.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/stor...mp;lid=tab4pos1

This article sums up my opinion of this situation in its entirety very well.

Couldn't agree more. The 'Hired Gun' thing is what gets me annoyed. I thought he should have signed before training camp. And even now i don't like the pick of Vancouver over the rangers. He should have taken the 2 mill from the rags and took a shot at the cup. Not with a team with a shady offense and a brick wall with a GROIN injury.

The Canucks are 8th in the league in goals per game. The Rangers are 27th. If the Canucks' offense is "shady," what does that make New York's?

[dsjunior1388 81]

This was a brainless move by Mats. Vancouver is depending on a broken down center coming in cold to power their offense? Good luck with that. If he wants to win a cup, the only available chance he really had was Philly or maybe new york if they get it together socring wise. Vancouver travel is probably up there in the toughest in the league, especially come playoff time if they draw Minnesota, Detroit, or Chicago. Luongo's out, and lets be honest, Vancouver lives and dies with him (as do most NHL teams and their starting goalie) I think Mats went for the cash, and next year we will see him probably join a team such as the ducks, sharks, bruins, rangers, or flyers, who he can make a run with. I doubt Detroit and Montreal will have roster or cap space for him, but the others might make room.

[kosydar 0]

Whoever said Mats is vastly overrated certainly hasn't seen him play much, especially on his teams as of late. After the 06 Olympics he was the best player in the league.

[M.W. 0]

This was a brainless move by Mats. Vancouver is depending on a broken down center coming in cold to power their offense? Good luck with that. If he wants to win a cup, the only available chance he really had was Philly or maybe new york if they get it together socring wise. Vancouver travel is probably up there in the toughest in the league, especially come playoff time if they draw Minnesota, Detroit, or Chicago. Luongo's out, and lets be honest, Vancouver lives and dies with him (as do most NHL teams and their starting goalie) I think Mats went for the cash, and next year we will see him probably join a team such as the ducks, sharks, bruins, rangers, or flyers, who he can make a run with. I doubt Detroit and Montreal will have roster or cap space for him, but the others might make room.

Vancouver's offense has been powering itself fairly well so far, and far better than the Rangers' has. They don't need him to light the world on fire; they just need him to solidify a second scoring line and take some pressure off of the Sedins. Anything more is bonus. Bringing in Sundin will likely make the Sedins better, too.

Keep in mind that it appears that Sundin took less than the 10 million offered, so that the Canucks should still have quite a bit of cap space by deadline time. If he were going for the cash, he would not have done that. Gillis says that they're not done, and that he intends to add one or two more pieces.

I don't see why the Rangers are considered a much better option. In order to fit Sundin, they'd have had to have moved out either a core player, or multiple players, and it's not like they're really much better than the Canucks as it stands pre-Sundin. Vancouver, on the other hand, is able to add Sundin without taking anyone away, and still has room to bring in more players to fill whatever holes are identified between Sundin's arrival and the deadline.

[mack 44]

MW makes some great points and I really don't see the downside for Vancouver on this. Sundin's a proven leader, which Vancouver is lacking right now, plus he's coming off a good season. Is he going to come to them in peak game shape? Obviously not, but he'll be more than capable.

It's a broken record, but if nothing else I hopefully won't have to watch him paired up with plumbers and kids on his wings like he has been in TO since as long as I can remember.

[cbj05 0]

Whoever said Mats is vastly overrated certainly hasn't seen him play much, especially on his teams as of late. After the 06 Olympics he was the best player in the league.

I root against the leafs every chance that I get, trust me in saying that I've seen Sundin enough over the past 10 years and strongly stand by my opinion.

I totally agree on him being overrated. But I'd expect his reputation to draw enough top D-pairing shifts away from the Sedins that it ends up helping their offensive numbers. He'll probably draw in to 45 games and get 35 points, not point-per-game.

This is the important part for the Canucks and what makes this a good signing.

[psh 25]

Whoever said Mats is vastly overrated certainly hasn't seen him play much, especially on his teams as of late. After the 06 Olympics he was the best player in the league.

I root against the leafs every chance that I get, trust me in saying that I've seen Sundin enough over the past 10 years and strongly stand by my opinion.

I totally agree on him being overrated. But I'd expect his reputation to draw enough top D-pairing shifts away from the Sedins that it ends up helping their offensive numbers. He'll probably draw in to 45 games and get 35 points, not point-per-game.

This is the important part for the Canucks and what makes this a good signing.

You can strongly stand by your opinion all you want, but an opinion doesn't change facts. It's hard to overrate a player who is #22 all time for goals scored and #1 all time for overtime goals scored. Moreover, consider a comparison with other power forwards--his playoff points per game are nearly identical to Neely and Iginla, for example. That's pretty heady company, especially considering the support Sundin has had over the years.

[mrusse01 0]

I think it's a great move for the Canucks, but I think it was a dumb choice for Sundin. The whole process kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth. You go through all the talk about not wanting to join a team in the middle of the season, not wanting to just be a hired gun...and then that's exactly what ends up happening. I'm the biggest Sundin fan in the world, but I don't see how you can spin it any other way. He took several months to decide if he wanted to play in the NHL and then he went to the team that could give him the most money. It's disappointing because Mats always had a history of saying exactly what he meant, and doing just that...and this time he went back on his word. That's just the bottom line.

[chippa13 1844]

"He returns to Rome a conquering hero, but what has he conquered?"

[psh 25]

I agree there. He said he didn't want to be a rent-a-player, and now here he is, joining mid-way into the season. In his defense, I guess you can say he'll spend most of the season with the Canucks, rather than just be a playoff mercenary.

I do think the Canucks was the better choice for him if the Rangers was really the only other team in the running. With their line-up (especially when Luongo returns) and their cap space, I wouldn't be surprised to see them make a good run.

[zrez 0]

I was readong the vancouver news paper and there was an article about how sundin took a discounted price in order to allow the nucks to pick up another good player at the deadline. they still have a projected 6 to 10 mill space under the cap.

[psh 25]

I was readong the vancouver news paper and there was an article about how sundin took a discounted price in order to allow the nucks to pick up another good player at the deadline. they still have a projected 6 to 10 mill space under the cap.

Right, and TSN is also reporting that Sundin specifically sought out a team with enough cap room that they could take him on at a reduced price and still have room for more additions as the playoffs approach. He wanted to join a team that wouldn't have to dump players to take him on--he didn't want to disrupt team unity. I am also reading that he signed for just the one year so that Vancouver will have cap flexibility to address their UFAs in the off-season (the Sedins, I think, are up). The more I read, the more I am impressed by how thoughtful Sundin was about this process.

[mrusse01 0]

I was readong the vancouver news paper and there was an article about how sundin took a discounted price in order to allow the nucks to pick up another good player at the deadline. they still have a projected 6 to 10 mill space under the cap.

Right, and TSN is also reporting that Sundin specifically sought out a team with enough cap room that they could take him on at a reduced price and still have room for more additions as the playoffs approach. He wanted to join a team that wouldn't have to dump players to take him on--he didn't want to disrupt team unity . I am also reading that he signed for just the one year so that Vancouver will have cap flexibility to address their UFAs in the off-season (the Sedins, I think, are up). The more I read, the more I am impressed by how thoughtful Sundin was about this process.

I think that was a big factor...he didn't want an established team to have to dump guys, and possibly upset the dressing room. Makes sense.

I might come off as a little pissed at the whole thing, and I am...but I do wish Mats all the best, and if I was lucky enough to get tickets to his first game back you can bet I'd be wearing my #13 jersey and giving him a standing ovation when he first steps on the ice. Anybody at that game who boo's him isn't a Leaf fan in my opinion.

[psh 25]

From a distance, I think Mats is a hard guy not to like. Being the first Euro drafted #1 and wearing the C for Toronto was a heavy burden, and I think he carried it as well as anyone could have. But, I do understand people who have gotten sick of the saga and all the attention focused on him. All the attention the Leafs get in general can be overbearing and, for better or for worse, Mats was the face of the franchise for a long time.

[troy 12]

He didn't take less money, he's just getting a pro-rated ~$10M salary.

[psh 25]

Sundin accepted a discount. From TSN:

"Sundin will net close to $5 million for playing the remainder of this season, or $700,000 less than what he was originally offered...

While Sundin will walk away from the 2008–09 season with close to $5 million in his pocket, he's leaving some on the table and giving Canucks general manager Mike Gillis the flexibility to land another top six forward through a trade."

[TheBert 0]

He didn't take less money, he's just getting a pro-rated ~$10M salary.

He took a pro-rated $8 million contract.

EDIT: $8.6m my mistake. http://communities.canada.com/theprovince/...his-season.aspx

The Canucks shouldn't expect him to power their offense. It's top 10 in the league right now without him. And as for leading the team deep in the playoffs, that's Luongo's job, not Sundin's. I don't think they'll finish higher than Detroit or San Jose in the standings, but barring last year's injuries on defense, I think they'll be battling Minnesota for 1st in the division.

[troy 12]

My mistake then, but any way it's looked at it how is it not about the money? Would San Jose, Detroit or Boston not take him for the minimum? I wouldn't think so.

[M.W. 0]

My mistake then, but any way it's looked at it how is it not about the money? Would San Jose, Detroit or Boston not take him for the minimum? I wouldn't think so.

Players who don't play for the league minimum are just in it for the money? Seriously? That's what you're coming back with instead of just admitting that you were wrong? Come on, now.

[troy 12]

I admitted I was wrong in the first three words? Sundin has implied his desire is to win a Cup, and even with their acquisition of him, I don't think many people would attempt to argue that Vancouver presents him with the best opportunity to attain this goal. All I would like out of Sundin is some acknowledgement that money had an influence upon his excruciatingly long decision-making process.

[mack 44]

Not going to bother with looking at the cap numbers, but maybe those teams couldn't afford him or just thought they'd be better off saving money to spend on other needs. Detroit's all about chemistry and though they may like him, they seem to be doing well enough without his services. San Jose seems like they're good to go at forward as well.

Hadn't seen it mentioned yet, but would the Canucks be able to deal him? If this signing somehow goes awry I was wondering if they could cut their losses at all.

[kosydar 0]

After last year I doubt Sundin would sign a deal that didn't include a NMC.

[top_shelf_24 0]

So, I'm a little confused on the numbers. Had he have signed this exact deal at the beginning of the year, it would be worth around 7 mil. And the leafs also threw him a 7 mil deal? Please correct me if I'm wrong, but that seems to contradict just about everything he stood for for his decade of captaincy in T.O.

[pantherfan 0]

And what was that?

[top_shelf_24 0]

"I want to retire a leaf"